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Star Trek: The Manga #3
Star Trek: The Manga, Volume 3: Uchu
The Voyage of the Starship Enterprise Continues...TOKYOPOP delivers new manga-style stories of the classic U.S.S. Enterprise crew in this third installment of the Star Trek the manga series. In Uchu: David Gerrold (writer of the famous "Trouble with Tribbles" episode) brings us a rumpus on the Enterprise as the mysterious, teddy bear-like creature Bandi runs amok with a pretty virulent vibes. Wil Wheaton returns with a Klingon confrontation that may test Kirk's resolute hatred of them. Nathaniel Bowden brings us a society in which bureaucrats run wild. And Luis Reyes tries to glimpse the softer side of Spock. Stories include: Art of War (Story by Wil Wheaton and Art by E.J. Su), Inalienable Rights (Story by Nathaniel Bowden and Art by Heidi Arhnold), Bandi (Story by David Gerrold and Art by Don Hudson), and The Humanitarian (Story by Luis Reyes and Art by Nate Watson)
192 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 31, 2021
Four stories here, including one by Wil Wheaton, who played Wesley Crusher in The Next Generation. That story was Art Of War, the first in the volume. There were two separate but simultaneous trials, one for Captain Kirk and the other for a Klingon, Commander Kring. They were each being tried for their actions on a certain planet. But will the results be the same?
I had two favorites in this book: The Humanitarian and Inalienable Rights. The first features Mr. Spock in temporary command, and the second shows what happens when the Federation's standards of civilization are met.....or maybe not met.
Another good visit with the Star Trek crew and now I am energized enough to go out and give the garden a late night drink.
I had two favorites in this book: The Humanitarian and Inalienable Rights. The first features Mr. Spock in temporary command, and the second shows what happens when the Federation's standards of civilization are met.....or maybe not met.
Another good visit with the Star Trek crew and now I am energized enough to go out and give the garden a late night drink.
March 16, 2020
Fun, cute, sometimes kinda silly and a little baffling, but really solid and very enjoyable stories.
"The Art of War"
Wil Wheaton coming through with a surprisingly really good story, with an interesting dual-structured narrative about Kirk and a Klingon captain having to work together anf help each other to both survive (and follow their own codes of honor/duty), and facing the legal repercussions. I'm not fully sure how to interpret the ending, but it was emotionally effective. Also had the most anime art, which by leaning into the anime-ness ended up really dynamic and expressive, and it really worked.
"Bandi"
David Gerrold writing a... sequel? counterpoint? reflection? joke?... to "The Trouble with Tribbles". The art was just realistic enough to be occasionally uncanny and a little hard to parse, which contrasted sharply with some of the really, REALLY cartoony panels, which ended up... an understandable and communicative for sure but kinda odd artistic choice. But the emotions and interactions between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy were great, and the whole thing was kind of silly, I took so many pictures of different panels on my phone to send to my friends. A cute little teddy-bear alien has psychic powers to play on people's emotions. Shenanigans ensue. I... think the implication of the ending is that Kirk is kind of in love with Spock and the emotion-alien is either manipulating that or bringing it out. David Gerrold coming through for us.
I feel like Starfleet should have way better laws and regulations about proper circumstances for removing animals from their habitats and appropriate ways to house them on starships, though.
"The Humanitarian"
Spock is temporarily in command of the Enterprise and has to deal with a deadly disaster, both practically and emotionally. Really good and strongly character-focused, gets very introspective for a comic format, and shows the emotional toll that dozens of crew deaths actually takes on the characters in question. Spock was really good and the interactions between Spock and McCoy were really good. Sweet and sad and mostly a Spock character study.
"Inalienable Rights"
The most uneven of the four, imo, and the one that felt most like a straight-up TOS episode. The Enterprise makes first contact with a planet that's just invented warp travel, but the political situation is unjust and menacing and Kirk & co. landing inspires a fight for justice. The ending felt a bit rushed and unsatisfyingly-resolved and I feel like there could have been more time for a better resolution if they hadn't felt the need to spend page space on the female engineer alien flirting with Kirk, which felt awkwardly shoved in from a "idk Kirk flirts with the alien ladies right? That's a thing we gotta include then, right?" mentality that added nothing and was just weird. The interactions between her and Scotty were really sweet though, and I did like the designs for the aliens and their planet.
All in all a really good collection of short TOS stories.
"The Art of War"
Wil Wheaton coming through with a surprisingly really good story, with an interesting dual-structured narrative about Kirk and a Klingon captain having to work together anf help each other to both survive (and follow their own codes of honor/duty), and facing the legal repercussions. I'm not fully sure how to interpret the ending, but it was emotionally effective. Also had the most anime art, which by leaning into the anime-ness ended up really dynamic and expressive, and it really worked.
"Bandi"
David Gerrold writing a... sequel? counterpoint? reflection? joke?... to "The Trouble with Tribbles". The art was just realistic enough to be occasionally uncanny and a little hard to parse, which contrasted sharply with some of the really, REALLY cartoony panels, which ended up... an understandable and communicative for sure but kinda odd artistic choice. But the emotions and interactions between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy were great, and the whole thing was kind of silly, I took so many pictures of different panels on my phone to send to my friends. A cute little teddy-bear alien has psychic powers to play on people's emotions. Shenanigans ensue. I... think the implication of the ending is that Kirk is kind of in love with Spock and the emotion-alien is either manipulating that or bringing it out. David Gerrold coming through for us.
I feel like Starfleet should have way better laws and regulations about proper circumstances for removing animals from their habitats and appropriate ways to house them on starships, though.
"The Humanitarian"
Spock is temporarily in command of the Enterprise and has to deal with a deadly disaster, both practically and emotionally. Really good and strongly character-focused, gets very introspective for a comic format, and shows the emotional toll that dozens of crew deaths actually takes on the characters in question. Spock was really good and the interactions between Spock and McCoy were really good. Sweet and sad and mostly a Spock character study.
"Inalienable Rights"
The most uneven of the four, imo, and the one that felt most like a straight-up TOS episode. The Enterprise makes first contact with a planet that's just invented warp travel, but the political situation is unjust and menacing and Kirk & co. landing inspires a fight for justice. The ending felt a bit rushed and unsatisfyingly-resolved and I feel like there could have been more time for a better resolution if they hadn't felt the need to spend page space on the female engineer alien flirting with Kirk, which felt awkwardly shoved in from a "idk Kirk flirts with the alien ladies right? That's a thing we gotta include then, right?" mentality that added nothing and was just weird. The interactions between her and Scotty were really sweet though, and I did like the designs for the aliens and their planet.
All in all a really good collection of short TOS stories.
August 30, 2021
D@mn it Jim. I am a Doctor not a mangka!
This is the 3rd (and I believe final) instalment of the classic Star Trek series in manga format and phasers are set to stun. Although I was not particularly fond of some of the artistic renditions in the stories the stories themselves are generally excellent showing love for the original series while having their own flair whether it be a bit silly or serious to the point of soul searching for a given character. For a brief idea of what you get here are the 4 stories held within and if you are up to it there is a story sample a Trek book called Myriad Universes: Infinity's Prism.
Art of War War is hell and showing mercy to your enemy has consequences as Captain Kirk and Klingon Commander Kring are both put on trial for their actions when the two of them find themselves in a dangerous situation and ultimately discover a little more about each other.
Bandi A teddy bear like alien is on board the Enterprise that can broadcast strong emotions into creatures nearby as a self defense mechanism. The crew is in for an emotional rollercoaster. :)
The Humanitarian With Kirk temporarily out of commission Spock is in control and the Enterprise is needed to help with a planet whose political infighting has kept them from joining the federation for a long time. Bad things happen leading to major losses and Mr. Spock does what he does best as he keeps order amidst chaos.
Inalienable Rights While traveling the Enterprise picks up a warp signature from a planet not known for such tech. Offering greetings from the Federation to the civilization capable of such an invention the crew discovers some inequalities among the social casts as well as a society unable to accept peace with their neighbors.
This is the 3rd (and I believe final) instalment of the classic Star Trek series in manga format and phasers are set to stun. Although I was not particularly fond of some of the artistic renditions in the stories the stories themselves are generally excellent showing love for the original series while having their own flair whether it be a bit silly or serious to the point of soul searching for a given character. For a brief idea of what you get here are the 4 stories held within and if you are up to it there is a story sample a Trek book called Myriad Universes: Infinity's Prism.
Art of War War is hell and showing mercy to your enemy has consequences as Captain Kirk and Klingon Commander Kring are both put on trial for their actions when the two of them find themselves in a dangerous situation and ultimately discover a little more about each other.
Bandi A teddy bear like alien is on board the Enterprise that can broadcast strong emotions into creatures nearby as a self defense mechanism. The crew is in for an emotional rollercoaster. :)
The Humanitarian With Kirk temporarily out of commission Spock is in control and the Enterprise is needed to help with a planet whose political infighting has kept them from joining the federation for a long time. Bad things happen leading to major losses and Mr. Spock does what he does best as he keeps order amidst chaos.
Inalienable Rights While traveling the Enterprise picks up a warp signature from a planet not known for such tech. Offering greetings from the Federation to the civilization capable of such an invention the crew discovers some inequalities among the social casts as well as a society unable to accept peace with their neighbors.
December 19, 2023
Star Trek: The Manga Volume 3 brings us four more stories in the Star Trek TOS universe.
In Bandi by David Gerrold a teddy bear-like creature Bandi runs amok on the Enterprise while in Art of War by Wil Wheaton we have a Klingon confrontation that perhaps begins to see a lessening of Kirk's resolute hatred of them. Inalienable Rights by Nathaniel Bowden brings us a society in which the subjugated are awakening to their power and finally in The Humanitarian by Luis Reyes we see another side of Spock as a mission goes horribly wrong.
While the stories vary in their faithfulness to the characters they are all enjoyable. The art work varies from story to story and while some is spot on, others are such that the characters are hardly recognizable. Still these are a must for the complete Star Trek collector.
In Bandi by David Gerrold a teddy bear-like creature Bandi runs amok on the Enterprise while in Art of War by Wil Wheaton we have a Klingon confrontation that perhaps begins to see a lessening of Kirk's resolute hatred of them. Inalienable Rights by Nathaniel Bowden brings us a society in which the subjugated are awakening to their power and finally in The Humanitarian by Luis Reyes we see another side of Spock as a mission goes horribly wrong.
While the stories vary in their faithfulness to the characters they are all enjoyable. The art work varies from story to story and while some is spot on, others are such that the characters are hardly recognizable. Still these are a must for the complete Star Trek collector.
March 5, 2022
it’s probably great, but I know nothing about Startrek. I wasn’t even going to buy the book but it was cheap and I was curious. If I actually knew and understood more I probably would’ve rated it much higher.
March 26, 2019
Not a bad collection of TOS stories.
December 17, 2025
Absolutely reads like episodes of the Star Trek original series in every way - good and bad! Are we surprised my favourite was the one with the teddy bear emotions alien bc we shouldn’t be.
November 9, 2016
This one was a little different than the other 2. There are 5 stories instead of 6 and they are much longer with more plot development [in cases]. There's 4 drawn out stories with the last one being in print. Sadly the final story is much shorter than previous written ones.
Possible spoilders ahead
1. Art of War - Trapped underground can captain Kirk work together with a great enemy for them both to survive? 5/5: definitely want more of this, great story, great moral ideals, realistic depiction of different ruling methods and government ideals.
2. Bandi - emphatic biological terror. 3/5; the book started with a strong story and then we got this one, which by how I described it could be terrifying to be trapped in space with such a creature on board. But I felt the
3. The Humanitarian - Spock temporarily takes the captains role. 5/5 I love that it shows the subtle nuances of a Vulcan being affected by his experiences.
4. Inalienable Rights - The crew witnesses an inaugural warp drive and decides to make a trip down to meet the advancing civilization. 5/5 great plot, great interactions, very emotional at the end. I just, and this is a personal thing, I want the liberation of the thinkers. I want justice and freedom, and I just, sometimes hate the directive.
5. Infinity Prism - The last remaining lieutenant of a decommissioned starship receives an unexpected visitor. 5/5 it's open ended and really makes you think about the reasons behind doing something, even if the thing to do is ultimately good. Again I just wish there was more to read, I never want the stories to end.
Possible spoilders ahead
1. Art of War - Trapped underground can captain Kirk work together with a great enemy for them both to survive? 5/5: definitely want more of this, great story, great moral ideals, realistic depiction of different ruling methods and government ideals.
2. Bandi - emphatic biological terror. 3/5; the book started with a strong story and then we got this one, which by how I described it could be terrifying to be trapped in space with such a creature on board. But I felt the
3. The Humanitarian - Spock temporarily takes the captains role. 5/5 I love that it shows the subtle nuances of a Vulcan being affected by his experiences.
4. Inalienable Rights - The crew witnesses an inaugural warp drive and decides to make a trip down to meet the advancing civilization. 5/5 great plot, great interactions, very emotional at the end. I just, and this is a personal thing, I want the liberation of the thinkers. I want justice and freedom, and I just, sometimes hate the directive.
5. Infinity Prism - The last remaining lieutenant of a decommissioned starship receives an unexpected visitor. 5/5 it's open ended and really makes you think about the reasons behind doing something, even if the thing to do is ultimately good. Again I just wish there was more to read, I never want the stories to end.
March 21, 2012
I freely admit that it took me a long time to build up the nerve to read this manga-style graphic novel. I thought that Star Trek, manga style was a bad idea.
I'm still not convinced of the format, or the choices made by the artists, but the writing of the stories was quite good. The most pleasant surprise was Wil Wheaton's story, Art of War. It takes an SF standard idea, of enemies forced to work together, and by viewing it in flashback from the parallel court martials, provides insights into human and Klingon cultures, and the military thought patterns after the Organian treaty. Very well done, and worth reading.
David Gerrold also turned in a story, Bandi, which is both a sequel and a counterpoint to his famous Trouble with Tribbles. Also very well done, and worth reading.
The Humanitarian, by Luis Reyes, was about the difference between not feeling emotions and not expressing emotions. Some fans lose track of the difference, when viewing Vulcans.
Inalienable Rights, by Nathaniel Bowden, might have been better without the obligatory "female alien flirts with Captain Kirk for no apparent reason" incident, but still wasn't bad.
Overall, a worthwhile attempt at portraying the Star Trek classic characters in a manga format.
I'm still not convinced of the format, or the choices made by the artists, but the writing of the stories was quite good. The most pleasant surprise was Wil Wheaton's story, Art of War. It takes an SF standard idea, of enemies forced to work together, and by viewing it in flashback from the parallel court martials, provides insights into human and Klingon cultures, and the military thought patterns after the Organian treaty. Very well done, and worth reading.
David Gerrold also turned in a story, Bandi, which is both a sequel and a counterpoint to his famous Trouble with Tribbles. Also very well done, and worth reading.
The Humanitarian, by Luis Reyes, was about the difference between not feeling emotions and not expressing emotions. Some fans lose track of the difference, when viewing Vulcans.
Inalienable Rights, by Nathaniel Bowden, might have been better without the obligatory "female alien flirts with Captain Kirk for no apparent reason" incident, but still wasn't bad.
Overall, a worthwhile attempt at portraying the Star Trek classic characters in a manga format.
September 11, 2008
My favorite so far in the series. Better illustrations and more developed plots/characterizations. Favorite story was the one where Spock is in charge of the Enterprise.
February 27, 2015
I enjoy this series; I wish there was more! This had a few good Spock-centric stories, which were particularly nice to read today.
November 4, 2016
Liked the stories. Particularly Spock leading the ship.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews